From Staff and Wire Reports Orlando Sentinel June 26, 2013 Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder and five gun-related charges in a Massachusetts court on Wednesday afternoon. The former Florida Gator and New England Patriots tight end was charged in connection with the shooting death Read More

[CBS News] Minority children are less likely than white children to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study in Pediatrics revealed. The study, which was published online on June 24, also showed that medication use to treat the neurobehavioral disorder was Read More

[Huffington Post] Paula Deen certainly learned the hard way that you have to be careful when you speak about race. After last week’s revelations that she has “yes, of course” used the N-word and made other racially-insensitive comments, many people are wondering whether Deen is Read More

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON – President Obama has pledged that his administration will do “everything in its power” to repair the damage done by the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday when it struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Read More

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, the part determining which states and political subdivisions are subject to the preclearance provision of the law, is likely to spark voting Read More

[The Washington Post] Welcome to Health Reform Watch, Sarah Kliff’s regular look at how the Affordable Care Act is changing the American health-care system — and being changed by it. You can reach Sarah with questions, comments and suggestions here. Check back every Monday, Wednesday and Read More

Special to the NNPA from the New Pittsburgh Courier Having children is a big decision in anyone’s life. There are so many factors to consider, such as the health of the mother, economic preparedness, and the age of the mother. Today, one in ten babies Read More

[Miami Herald] Tens of thousands of fans celebrated the second straight Miami Heat championship parade outside the AmericanAirlines Arena. Inside, the team partied as well, and talked about making history. The Afterparty, 2:30 p.m. After a franchise-record 66 wins, a 27-game winning streak, and a Read More

[ESPN] Roc Nation Sports, the sports agency founded in April by Jay-Z, on Monday officially scored its most marketable name in Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. The firm’s spokesman Ron Berkowitz confirmed the news, and Durant later tweeted out a picture on Monday afternoon of he and Read More

[HNGN] Soon-to-be NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp questioned former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan’s credentials to join the greats in Canton. Sapp blasted Strahan and said the current “Good Morning America” host made a career of playing football against “the weak guy,” the Read More

[ESPN] The official completion of the deal that will send Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers is being delayed because Rivers and his representatives are still negotiating the language in the coach’s new contract, league sources told ESPNBoston.com’s Jackie MacMullan. The NBA has not approved the Read More

By James Washington Special to the NNPA from The Dallas Weekly The subject today is “Faith Walk.” Can somebody really explain this to me? I’m not trying to be funny. On the contrary, I’m trying to be real and gain more perspective on what some Read More

[GIGAOM] I have been baffled by Google’s decision in March to euthanize the Google Reader instead of trying to reinvent it for the mobile/tablet age and use its strong (if small) community of users to build a new news reading experience. It is ironic because everyone seems to Read More

[The Washington Post] Bobby “Blue” Bland, a singer who became one of the most popular, electrifying and influential rhythm-and-blues entertainers in the late 20th century and who modernized the genre by blending elements of traditional blues, gospel and pop balladry, died June 23 at his Read More

[LOS ANGELES TIMES] If you’re looking for a new iPhone 5 on the cheap, now is the time to buy. A number of retailers have begun slashing their prices on the popular Apple smartphone, including Wal-Mart, which cut prices on the device by $60. The retailer now sells Read More

By Donovan M. Smith Special to the NNPA from the Portland Observer It is still happening; people are going to work only to be met with unacceptable acts of racism and a paystub as the only consolation for an apology. In a city where protests Read More

Special to the NNPA from The Final Call Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans who are looking to purchase a home still face discrimination in subtle forms, according to a new national study. According to the study, commissioned by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Read More

[UPI] Writer-director-producer George Lucas and Mellody Hobson. UPI/Jim Ruymen Star Wars creator George Lucas married his longtime girlfriend Mellody Hobson at the director’s Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif. on Saturday. Celebrity guests at the ceremony included Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Howard, both of whom shared Read More

Special to the NNPA from The Houston Defender He’s already revered as a legend of hip-hop, loved worldwide for his fiery political lyrics. He’s one of the highest selling music acts of all time. Now, the late Tupac Shakur is finally receiving his own star Read More

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist In the months leading up to this week’s Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, a public opinion poll by ABC News and the Washington Post showed that 76 percent of Americans oppose affirmative action in college admissions. However, a poll conducted Read More

By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist Forgive me if I come across as cynical, but why is anyone surprised by our domestic spying? I am not talking about the ridiculous situation with the IRS. That is a tempest in a teapot, and everyone knows that. Read More

By Jineea Butler NNPA Columnist Do you ever wonder what message our young men are really sending when their pants are sagging to the point of showing their underwear? Has it crossed your mind that they might be mooning us? Before we can figure it Read More

By Lee A. Daniels NNPA Columnist If home ownership is, overwhelmingly, the foundation of individuals’ and families’ economic security in America, Black Americans face a profoundly difficult predicament. For when it comes to that signal marker, the wrenching economic shocks of the past half-decade have Read More

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist It seems that the term “poverty” has been sidelined from our national discourse, even though 15 percent of all Americans, and 26 percent of African Americans experience poverty. The Fair Labor Standards Act was signed into law on June 25, 1938, Read More

By Raynard Jackson NNPA Columnist With the deepening polarization of our country, I have been reflecting on the cause of this polarization. One of the major issues confronting the U.S. is what it means to be an American. This may sound a bit trite, Read More

By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil NNPA Columnist I have a black belt in retail therapy, so I was thrilled when I first saw Nielsen’s new in-depth report, Brick by Brick: the State of the Shopping Center, because it confirms two very important things: our economy is growing stronger because Read More

By James Clingman NNPA Columnist “Stop that! I’m not going to tell you again.” I am sure many of you have heard your parents say those words more than once. Why? Because you always repeated what they told you not to do, right? Now that Read More

By William Reed NNPA Columnist President Obama and the first lady’s trip to sub-Saharan Africa, scheduled for June 26-July 3, will included South Africa, the West African nation of Senegal, and Tanzania on Africa’s east coast. If anyone wonders why the son of a Kenyan Read More

By Jesse Jackson NNPA Columnist New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently spoke at a conference sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative in Chicago on disaster recovery in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The natural disaster caused an estimated $39 billion in damage in New Jersey. Read More

By Marc Morial NNPA Columnist “I’m the sole surviving member of my immediate family. I’ve asked myself over and over again why. I now know why.” Cicely Tyson, 2013 Tony Award, Best Actress in a Play On June 9, Cicely Tyson became only the third African Read More

JOHANNESBURG – Former South African President Nelson Mandela remains in critical condition Monday in a Pretoria hospital, described by South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma as being “asleep” when he visited the stricken anti-apartheid hero Sunday evening. Zuma told at least 60 foreign and South African Read More

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The hoopla surrounding the observance the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom often ignores that lack of progress made since 1963 on tough issues such as persistent unemployment and wage disparities, according Read More

Ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner Special to the NNPA from Our Weekly LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The City Council signed off today on a $4.2 million payout for two women newspaper deliverers injured by Los Angeles police officers who fired on their pickup in Torrance as Read More

Alice Walker (Courtesy Photo/Facebook) by Zenitha Prince Special to the NNPA from The Afro-American Newspaper The Anti-Defamation League on June 18 derided Pulitzer Prize-winning author and essayist Alice Walker over the “fervently anti-Jewish ideas” that they say permeates her latest book. Walker’s The Cushion in the Read More

Clarence Thomas would have voted to eliminate affirmative action By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The United States Supreme Court sidestepped making a decision on whether a University of Texas admissions plan that allows the limited consideration of race is unconstitutional by Read More

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Whenever states have eliminated affirmative action in the past, a decline in Black college enrollment has followed that decision, a study by The Civil Rights Project at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) shows. Rather than Read More

by Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Civil rights leaders greeted the Supreme Court’s decision in Fisher v. the University of Texas at Austin with lukewarm optimism. “It is not a victory, but it is not a defeat either. It’s in that gray Read More

by George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Although the federal government secretly spied on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders in the past, Blacks are more willing than Whites to have their privacy rights invaded if it will help investigate possible terrorists. Read More

by Marian Wright Edelman NNPA Columnist Guns killed more preschoolers in one year than they did law-enforcement officers in the line of duty. Ask yourself if this is really what we as Americans meant by putting our children first? American companies manufacture enough bullets each Read More

by Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist For the most part, corporate America employees are satisfied with their careers. There is usually a chart to review in terms of responsibility. Is the employee moving up the “ladder” and heading towards more executive responsibility? That is correlated with salary. The greater Read More

by Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist Last week, I attended a “think tank” conversation with leaders of the Rodham Institute, a newly-established center at George Washington University is dedicated to reducing health disparities in Washington, D.C. This is an important effort because Washington is such a Read More

by James Clingman NNPA Columnist “I was tired of giving in.” – Rosa Parks It is always interesting to reflect on certain events that took place in days gone by, especially when it comes to economic issues. In my entrepreneurship classes, I often use the example Read More

[UPI] The talks between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers may send star forward Blake Griffin and young guard Eric Blesdoe across the Staples Center in a sign-and-trade exchange for superstar Dwight Howard. Sources close the process say the two Los Angeles Read More

[BLOOMBERG] Once on the cutting edge of consumer electronics, Sony (6758) lost its mojo years ago. But every so often, it still comes up with something that reminds you of what it was, and maybe could be again. Meet the new Xperia Tablet Z, the sleekest Android tablet Read More

By Elena Washington Special to the NNPA from The Dallas Weekly Mega church pastor and bestselling author, T.D. Jakes, along with his communications department, comprised of Regina Lewis, Kayla Tucker Adams and Zakiya Larry with Zunoraine Holmes of TDJ Enterprises and Yona Deshommes of Simon Read More

By Cory Alexander Haywood Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward Times Gospel giant Kirk Franklin recently opened up about his decision to pay for an abortion at the tender age of 15. Franklin did an interview with Sway in the Morning on Sirius/XM Read More

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist A new report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finds that overdraft fees continue to pose high risks to consumers, despite recent regulatory changes. The report focuses on the dreaded overdraft charge, the fees banks and credit unions collect for Read More

By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist Forgive me, but I am scared Any reader of my columns knows that I pay fairly regular attention to the matter of the environmental crisis. But over the last few weeks, the news has become more unsettling. Greenhouse gases Read More

By Raynard Jackson NNPA Columnist When I read the recently released report by The College Republican National Committee (CRNC), titled, “Grand Old Party for a Brand New Generation,” I immediately thought of two cartoons: the Flintstones and the Jetsons. The Flintstones was an animated, prime-time TV show Read More

By William Reed NNPA Columnist Did you know that the official African-American holidays are: Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth? What do you, and your family, do to celebrate Juneteenth? Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, the Juneteenth holiday is an abbreviated Read More

By Jineea Butler NNPA Columnist I am a Citizen Of Hip Hop. That bold declaration, which has developed into an international movement, has created buzz and touched off badly needed introspection. Over the centuries, citizenship has been elusive for people of color and a constant source of Read More

By Jesse Jackson NNPA Columnist Fifty years ago, Medgar Evers, the NAACP regional secretary in Mississippi, was murdered by a member of the White Citizens’ Council. Evers’ death received national attention, serving only to strengthen the movement for civil rights. Two years later, President Lyndon Read More

By Stella Adams NNPA Guest Columnist A recent report from the Social Security trustees confirms that the program is solvent and can fully pay benefits to all eligible Americans until 2033. That is good news only if you are a Baby Boomer. If you Read More

[BBC] Mali’s government has signed a peace deal with Tuareg rebels to help pave the way for elections next month. The accord calls for an immediate ceasefire and for government troops to return to the rebel-held northern town of Kidal, officials said. The rebels captured Read More

[NBC News] Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy SAO PAULO — President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday sought to defuse a massive protest movement sweeping Brazil, acknowledging the need for better public services and more responsive governance as demonstrations continued Read More

Angolan President, Eduardo dos Santos Special to the NNPA from the Global Information Network Hundreds of millions of dollars may have been divvied up between Angola’s President, Eduardo dos Santos, and Russian and French arms dealers, in what has been called “one of the most Read More

[BBC] Renegade Ugandan army General David Sejusa has accused President Yoweri Museveni of creating a “political monarchy” to hang on to power. In his first interview since he fled to the UK last month, the four-star general told the BBC that Mr Museveni’s plans should Read More

[Bloomberg] Five-time champion Venus Williams said she will skip Wimbledon this year because of a back injury. The 33-year-old American said on her Facebook page that she planned to return to the courts for a World Team Tennis event in Washington on July 8. Wimbledon is set Read More

[Associated Press] Former Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis plans to get married this fall. People magazine says the 53-year-old Louganis will marry paralegal Johnny Chaillot. The four-time gold medalist is the only man to win consecutive Olympic titles in springboard and platform diving — in Read More

By Dwight Brown NNPA Entertainment Critic The legendary lady of funk and soul Chaka Kahn was recently inducted into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame in celebration of her 40th anniversary in the music business. Kahn follows in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and other world-renown musicians who have Read More

[UPI} David Chappelle is coming back as the headliner comedian for Funny or Die’s “Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival” following an eight year hiatus from the public eye. “Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival” will begin on August 23 in Austin, Texas and will run through 13 cities Read More

by Gail Choice Special to the NNPA from Our Weekly His first dramatic series, “The Haves and Have Nots” premiered May 28. The hourlong drama series became OWN’s most watched premiere show to date. And the comedy-driven “Love Thy Neighbor” premiered the following night, May Read More

[Reuters] Rapper Jay Z’s upcoming studio album will go to a million users of Samsung smartphones three days before its official release in a promotional deal, but the distribution is unlikely to count toward official sales figures, an industry expert said on Monday. Jay Z, Read More

[CNN] Critics who have compared President Barack Obama’s stance on government surveillance to that of hawkish former Vice President Dick Cheney are missing his insistence on proper systematic balances, Obama said in an interview that aired Monday. Defending at length the recently revealed government programs Read More

June 19, 2013Kyle YeldellComments Off on Jesse Jackson Wants to Serve His Prison Time First; Government Resisting Break for His Mental Illness

[Chicago Sun-Times] WASHINGTON — Jesse Jackson Jr. wants to serve his time first if he and wife Sandi are sent to prison, with the request on Monday coming as prosecutors said the couple does not deserve any sentencing breaks because of the “good works” they Read More

[THE NEW YORK TIMES] Think you do just fine on five or six hours of shut-eye? Chances are, you are among the many millions who unwittingly shortchange themselves on sleep. Research shows that most people require seven or eight hours of sleep to function optimally. Read More

[THE WASHINGTON POST] Now is the season when women take their freshly pedicured toes al fresco, often courtesy of strappy high-heel sandals or open-toed pumps that look fabulous but sometimes feel like the masochistic torture tools that many podiatrists insist they are. Michael Liebow, a Read More

[TUSCON NEWS NOW] WASHINGTON (AP) – Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar – but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new Read More

[Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer] U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin announced Thursday that she will resign in July, four years after President Obama nominated her for the position. Benjamin, who oversees the operational command of 6,500 uniformed public health officers around Read More

[ABC News] The series of controversies in Washington over the last month have taken a political toll on President Barack Obama, according to one new poll released Monday that showed his ratings slipping. Even as Americans mostly back the National Security Agency’s controversial practices involving Read More

[Special to the NNPA from the Houston Defender] How many of you want to launch your own small business, but are stymied because you don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to invest? But the truth is there are a number of in-demand businesses you Read More

[CBS NEWS] Pregnant women, especially those in low-wage jobs, are denied basic accommodations and routinely fired, according to a new report released Tuesday. Employers continue to refuse to provide pregnant workers accommodations that they routinely give employees with disabilities – despite federal laws designed to Read More

[UPI] A large majority of U.S. workers do not like their jobs with a significant portion of them disruptive in at least a passive-aggressive sense, a survey found. Being passive-aggressive at work would include attitudes that were so negative they held back personal productivity or Read More

by Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – When President Obama announced his nominees to fill vacancies at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, everyone watching knew that he was in for a fight. A report published in March Read More

June 19, 2013Kyle YeldellComments Off on A Fathers Reflection: One on One with Tracy Martin, Father of Slain Florida Teen Trayvon Martin

by Charlene Muhammad Special to the NNPA from the LA Watts Times The trial of George Zimmerman, neighborhood watchman to himself, but reckless vigilante to others, began on June 10 for his killing of Black teenager Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Read More

[New York Times] SANFORD, Fla. — Within days of becoming the police chief in this small city outside Orlando, Cecil E. Smith began to see clearly the scope of the challenges he faced. There were grumblings within the Police Department’s ranks: at least one supervisor Read More

by Floyd Alvin Galloway Special to the NNPA from the Arizona Informant PHOENIX (NNPA) – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona filed a lawsuit May 29, on behalf of the NAACP of Maricopa County and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Read More

[USA Today] SANFORD, Fla. — In its opening statement in the Travyon Martin murder trial, the prosecution Monday portrayed defendant George Zimmerman as a trigger-happy, policeman wannabe who saw the teenager as a suspicious person and considered it his right to “rid the neighborhood of Read More

[FOOD POISONING BULLETIN] A study published in the Journal of Environmental Health found that only 5% of consumers wash their hands correctly. Scientists trained 12 college students in the field of data collection. They then observed 3,749 people washing their hands in public toilets. The Read More

[WBAY] New research shows exercising right after eating doesn’t cause cramps–it’s good for you. A new study shows going for a walk right after you eat may reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes, especially if you’re older. Researchers say moving helps control blood sugar Read More

[THE NEW YORK TIMES] Drug-injecting addicts who took a daily antiretroviral pill were half as likely to become infected with H.I.V. as those who did not, a major new study has found, providing the final piece of evidence that such treatments can prevent AIDS in Read More

Watch

BlackPressUSA.com, the public news website of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), is committed to showcasing the work of NNPA member publications and to telling the untold stories of the Black community in the United States and the Black Diaspora around the world.

BlackPressUSA.com editorial content caters to the African American community and features national and international news, politics, entertainment, sports, technology, health, automobiles and faith-based commentaries.